On Thursday, June 10, a partial solar eclipse was visible from the Netherlands. Planetary researchers Sebastiaan de Vet and Stephanie Cazaux therefore took to the streets in front of the faculty with their telescopes as a ‘pop-up’ observatory to observe the eclipse with passing students and staff.
During maximum 29% of the Sun’s diameter was covered by the Moon. Thanks to the favorable weather conditions, the eclipse was clearly visible from the Netherlands. Passing students and employees could safely look at the sun with eclipse glasses, or with a telescope equipped with a sun filter. Other viewing options were pinhole projections using colanders
The reactions were very enthusiastic, with a lot of ‘wow’ reactions. As the event took palace outside, the covid regulations could be followed, making is a safe viewing event. The next partial eclipse will take place on October 25, 2022. Side walk astronomy (‘stoepsterrenkunde’ in Dutch) is a new outreach activity that planetary exploration group will set up in Delft.
Top image: PhD candidate Tara Bründl observing the eclipse. Left: The maximum of the eclipse in The Netherlands as it was visible from Delft at 12:23 CEST. Image: Sebastiaan de Vet